Until Forever Read Online Free Page A

laughing. “It is beautiful, though, isn’t it? It almost compels you to want to touch it—hurry up and close the box before I can’t resist.”
    Gail was teasing, but Roseleen did close the box and lock it. If anyone was under a compulsion, it was she, for the urge had been there again, to lift the sword in her hands—the same powerful urge she’d felt last night. She decided she was being fanciful again. There was no other explanation.
    “Now, speaking of ‘knowing you better than that,’” Gail said, “trouble is, I do. You’ve got the antique sword you’ve been after for nearly four years now, your career is just where you want it, so when are you going to do something about your nonexistent social life?”
    Roseleen flinched mentally, having known this subject would pop up eventually while she was there. “I tried that, remember?”
    “Come on, Rosie, not every man you meet is going to be a jerk like Barry. And you tried an intellectual. Now how about a sportsman or even a laborer, a man who works with his muscles instead of his brain, someone who won’t give a hoot about the book you’re writing—so you won’t have to worry about that again—and will toss you into bed on a regular basis, emphasis on toss , by the way.”
    Roseleen had to smile. Gail did like her macho men. But she hedged. “It hasn’t been long enough since I ended things with Barry—”
    “It’s been too long—”
    “I’ve been looking—” Roseleen began to lie.
    Gail’s snort cut in this time. “Where? On campus? You don’t go anywhere else. And look at you. You’re working too hard, Rosie.You’ve got bags under your eyes, for crying out loud. All work and no play—”
    “Oh, stop. I’m sure you’re going to mother me to death this weekend, and force me to sleep half the time I’m here.”
    “Are you kidding? I’m going to be dragging you to every social event I can think of. One of us is going to find you a man. You can catch up on your sleep when you go home. And you better. Next time you visit, I don’t want to see you looking like you’re about ready to keel over.”
    Roseleen sighed. “Maybe I have been putting in a few too many hours on my book lately, on top of the schoolwork I bring home. But the semester is almost over. I’ll get all the rest I need in England this summer.”
    “Oh sure,” Gail said skeptically, knowing Roseleen too well. “Between hunting down new antiques over there and doing your research, you’ll be running yourself ragged as usual. When does that leave time for a social life, let alone some needed rest?”
    “I’ll get the rest, I promise. As for the social life…I’m still not ready to take that risk again, Gail. Maybe when I get back from England.”
    “And what if you come across the ideal man in England? Don’t go putting this on a time schedule like you do everything else.”
    “ Okay —I’ll keep an open mind about it,” Roseleen said, just to end the subject. “If I bump into Mr. Wonderful, I won’t ignore him.”
    “You promise?”
    Roseleen nodded grudgingly, not that it would matter. The few men she had been really attracted to over the years had barely noticed her. And besides, she just wasn’t ready for another relationship, not when it would involve trust, because Barry had depleted all the trust she had to spare. Maybe someday…

4
    “I can’t believe you brought it with you,” David said as he filled his glass with Scotch at the small bar in the corner of the spacious drawing room. “If I had known you were going to do that, I would simply have shipped it here to Cavenaugh to await your arrival.”
    Roseleen couldn’t quite meet her brother’s gaze and toyed with the ice in her tea instead. She wasn’t going to own up to the power that sword seemed to have over her. He’d never believe it, and she couldn’t put a name to it anyway. She had simply been unable to leave Blooddrinker’s Curse behind in the States.
    She’d missed her